VIDEO: Factory explosion kills at least 15 in Bangladesh

Hannah Busch
eatures and Special Publications Editor
Hannah began writing for APN newspapers in Hervey Bay and Maryborough in 2011, writing about everything from the prize-winning sausages to murder trials. She joined the team at the Queensland Times in early 2014 as editor of City Heart and Roughin It magazines.

AT LEAST 15 people have been killed in an explosion at a packaging factory in Bangladesh and the death toll is expected to rise.

The Dhaka Tribune reported at least 50 people were injured in the blast after it triggered a massive fire in the four-storey factory.

A boiler is believed to have exploded in the factory, located in Tongi, a town about 20km north of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

The Dhaka Tribune reported the factory affected was the Tempako Packaging Factory and said those killed included security guards, cleaners and machine operators.

Footage at the scene showed the extreme damage to the building.

Factories in Bangladesh are notoriously dangerous. More than 1100 people were killed when a factory known as Rana Plaza collapsed in 2013.

The massive tragedy sparked an agreement known as the Bangladeshi Accord on Fire and Building Safety.

Major brands, particularly clothing brands, were urged to sign the accord to make sure their suppliers and manufacturers provided a safe space for people to work.

The Accord has terminated business with at least seven companies since July for not addressing safety issues in some factories.

While most of the industrial area around the damaged factory is listed on the Accord, the Tempako Packaging Factory does not appear to have been signatory to the accord and is not listed in the public disclosure report released on September 1.